


Threshold

by AXEe



Series: The Tereshkova Adventures [3]
Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, First Contact, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-02-08 12:31:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21476062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Hello all! Part three of "The Tereshkova Adventures"! Enjoy! :=)
Relationships: Original Female Character--Helena Verne/Original Female Character--Kira Danvers
Series: The Tereshkova Adventures [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1468369
Comments: 14
Kudos: 1





	1. Breaking the Warp Barrier

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Part three of "The Tereshkova Adventures"! Enjoy! :=)

******

**Excerpt from the Federation Archives—subsection: History of warp drive**

The invention of warp drive has become a lynchpin of interstellar travel in most of the Milky Way galaxy (certainly within the Alpha Quadrant) and currently remains the most feasible way of achieving faster-than-light (FTL) travel, with most interstellar societies and civilizations only developing as such after the invention of warp drive—the sole exception to this being the Romulan Star Empire, who managed to establish a surprisingly-large interstellar empire without warp drive (the current extent of which remains unknown due to the Romulans’ largely-isolationist policies).

The first species known to the Federation to develop warp drive were the Vulcans, who became an interstellar society as early as the 3rd century AD (Earth calendar)—but later lost the technology during the various atomic wars that ravaged the planet Vulcan prior to the Time of Awakening and Vulcan species' devotion of logical thought. 

As a result, the Vulcans did not reacquire the knowledge of warp drive until several centuries later (the 9th century CE is the most commonly accepted date by Vulcan historians, the same date that Klingons also developed the technology, although it is unknown when or how the Klingons experiments began). Due to the wide gulf between the two eras, the exact identity of the individual(s) who discovered or otherwise invented the Vulcans’ first warp-capable starship—and indeed even the name of the vessel in question—has been lost to history.

For Humanity, the first recorded discovery of the ‘space-warp phenomena’ occurred in the mid-21st century—circa 2033—when the United Nations Spaceship (UNSS) _Bonaventure_ (C1-21) accidentally created a brief—but notable—warp field and the resulting distortion of the local space-time continuum. Building on this discovery, Dr. Zefram Cochrane began experimenting with what he termed the ‘gravimetric space-warp displacement drive’.

However, owing to the outbreak of World War Three and the resulting societal breakdown on most of Earth, Dr. Cochrane was unable to complete his experiments until 2063, nearly ten years after he began. On April 5th 2063, Cochrane’s first warp-capable vessel, the _Phoenix_—built out of a repurposed Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile (IBCM)—achieved a brief, but sustained, stable warp flight to the outer edges of the Sol System.

This flight would become a pivotal moment in human history and would ensure Dr. Cochrane’s place in history, as his warp flight had attracted the attention of the Vulcan survey ship _T’Plana-Hath_. Altering course to investigate, the crew of the _T’Plana-Hath_ became the first Vulcans to make contact with Earth.

Cochrane’s design for warp drive was unique compared to then-current Vulcan designs in that it was far more efficient, faster, and produced far less antimatter waste, earning Cochrane the moniker ‘the inventor of warp drive’, and variations of Dr. Cochrane’s original warp drive design remain the standard on Federation starships to this day.

Following the events of First Contact, Humanity and the Vulcans collaborated on various other interstellar projects, most notably the Warp Five Engine with the launch of the first NX-class vessel, _Enterprise_ (NX-01). Commanded by Captain—and later fourth President of the United Federation of Planets—Jonathan Archer the NX-01 _Enterprise_ made first contact with a variety of species, most significantly the Klingons and the Romulans, and would later serve with distinction during the Earth—Romulan War, which would serve as the catalyst for the formation of the United Federation of Planets.

Due to the vast amount of time, energy, and resources needed to achieve a stable matter/antimatter reaction prior to designing and building a practical warp drive, most planets require a unified effort on the part of their populace, often resulting in the erosion of individual nation-states (if any) and the development of a united planetary government.

As a result, the Federation maintains a policy of non-interference with any society or culture that has yet to achieve warp-capability (the Prime Directive). In most cases, a planet or society that is on the cusp of achieving warp drive is often studied by Federation anthropologists for an extended period of time—often several years—prior to making first contact.

In other cases however, first contact may be entirely accidental, whereby a newly-warp-capable society encounters a Federation starship by sheer chance. In these rare cases, starship captains are advised to minimize contact with the planet’s society until a proper study of the species society and culture can be made…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it isn't obvious, in addition to ignoring "Discovery" I'm also mostly ignoring "Enterprise", in particular the "Temporal Cold War" crap and the resulting "Xindi arc" as well as the show's 'explanation' as to why the Klingons looked so different from the Original Series versus the Next Generation. That being said, I'm not adverse to the idea of Archer and his crew 'existing', I just think that most of the stories on "Enterprise" don't fit with pre-established Trek canon (the episode with the Borg ring any bells here? :=)


	2. Playtime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TWO! Enjoy! :=)

******

The wind swept across the dusty ground, creating little swirls of brown as the gunslinger drew her pistol, bringing it to bear.

“You know what this is, stranger?” she drawled out.

Standing opposite her, staring down the barrel of the weapon, Captain Helena Verne nodded.

“I’m…familiar with it” she nodded slowly.

The gunslinger grinned.

“Good,” she nodded “now, I don’t draw this here gun unless I’m prepared to use it” she continued.

“I believe you” Helena nodded.

The gunslinger nodded in reply as she thumbed the hammer of the gun back.

“Freeze program,”

The gunslinger suddenly froze, the desert background flickering and vanishing, being replaced with a yellow grid pattern, leaving only the frozen gunslinger remaining.

“Well, Captain?” Lt. Airiam, senior science officer of the U.S.S. _Tereshkova_ approached, stepping through the holographic gunslinger’s form “what do you think?” Airiam asked.

“Incredible,” Helena exclaimed “I’ve never seen a holographic program this detailed before; I swear I could even smell the gunpowder”

Airiam grinned, gesturing to the gunslinger.

“It’s still in the experimental stages, but once we get all the bugs out every ship in the fleet could have a room like this,” she proclaimed “think about it—training scenarios, entertainment. A single room like this aboard a starship could revolutionize space travel, no more cabin fever”

“_If_ you get all the kinks out, Lieutenant,” Helena reminded her “I heard that some starships had rooms like this, but never this detailed,” she remarked “if memory serves those can just create a pretty background, but not people”

“No,” Airiam nodded “up until now, computers didn’t have the processing power to create interactive characters” she explained.

“_Captain to the bridge_”

Looking up at the hail, Helena smirked.

“Playtime’s over it looks like” she chuckled…

******

Stepping out of the turbolift, Helena took her seat as the rest of the senior staff filed into the bridge.

“Report” Helena called.

“Sensors picked up an unusual subspace distortion bearing 4-16-6 mark 23,” Kira reported from the helm “it looks like a warp signature” she added.

“A warp signature out this far?” Helena wondered “Airiam, who in this sector has warp-capability?”

“Besides us? No one,” Airiam answered “we’re the first starship out here,” she explained “this is completely uncharted territory, Captain. No one else, not the Federation, or the Klingons, or Romulans, or any other known warp-capable species have been out”

“What about the people already living here?” Helena wondered.

“Well, our preliminary scans indicated that there’s only one star system in this sector,” Airiam explained “pretty typical stuff, an O-type star with roughly eight planets”

“Any of them inhabited?” Helena wondered.

“With all due respect, Captain, but…we haven’t had a chance to look” Airiam replied.

“Fair point, Lieutenant” Helena conceded as an alert sounded from the helm.

“Subspace distortion increasing in intensity,” Kira reported “it’s _definitely_ a warp signature” she added.

“Do we have a visual yet?” Helena asked.

“Coming into range now, Captain” Ensign Leentex at navigation reported.

On the main viewscreen, there was a bright flash of a light as a small ship suddenly dropped out of warp less than a hair’s breadth from the hull of the _Tereshkova_.

“Shields up! Brace for impact!” Helena ordered as proximity alarms began screaming as the small ship barreled straight for the _Tereshkova_, clearly out of control. Gripping the arms of her chair tightly, Helena grunted as the ship jerked violently from the impact as the small ship swung out of view of the forwards sensors “report!” she barked out.

“An unknown vessel just dropped out of warp less than fifty meters from our outer hull!” Airiam reported “shields are holding, no hull damage”

“What about the other ship?” Helena demanded.

“Unknown, scanning now,” Airiam frowned at her console “uh, OK, vessel is composed of…titanium alloy?”

“Titanium?” Helena echoed, the disbelief clear in her voice “nobody’s used titanium in starship manufacture in ages. Scan that ship, find out who’s aboard” she ordered.

“Vessel has no weapons systems,” Airiam reported “no deflector shields, no artificial gravity even, minimal warp-capability. One occupant only”

Standing up, Helena approached the main viewer.

“On screen” she ordered quietly.

As the viewscreen changed image, she could see that the ship was incredibly small, possibly even smaller than a shuttlecraft. Most of its body seemed to be taken up by its comparatively-large ring-shaped propulsion system with a tiny, arrow-shaped cockpit at the very forward end.

“Captain,” Lt. Palmer called from the commutations station “I think the vessel is trying to hail us”

Helena turned towards her.

“You think?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” Palmer admitted “it looks like they’re using an old radio frequency, not subspace”

“Patch them in if you can,” Helena nodded, turning back to look at the small vessel now drifting before them “tie in the universal translator” she added.

“Aye, Captain”

With a fizzling, crackling sound, the channel opened, whistling and warbling in pitch and tone before there was a crackle of static.

“_Uh…he-hello?_” a feminine voice called out hesitantly, her tone breathless “_is…is anyone…there?_” she continued.

Helena let out a breathless chuckle.

“I’ll be damned” she muttered.

“Captain?” Kira asked.

Helena turned to her, smirking,

“We just made first contact” she explained.

“Should we respond, ma’am?” Lt. Palmer asked.

“Only fair, Lieutenant,” Helena nodded “it’s better than leaving a note on the windshield after all,” she added with a chuckle. When Kira and other crewmembers nearby looked at her questioningly, she just shook her head “old joke, never mind” she dismissed.

“I think I’ve matched their frequency, Captain,” Lt. Palmer announced “tying in universal translator,” she looked up at Helena and nodded “channel open, ma’am”

“_Hello?_” the alien pilot continued to call out “_hello? Are you receiving me? Hello?_”

“Hello” Helena replied…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first appearance of the holodeck was in the Next Generation episode "The Big Goodbye" (which was also the first 'malfunctioning holodeck" episode), although the first example of the technology appeared in the Animated Series episode "The Practical Joker" as the 'recreation room' aboard the "Enterprise", but it's shown that the 'recreation room' can only create environments, not people, and it also malfunctions thanks to a computer glitch, temporarily trapping Uhura, Sulu, and McCoy inside in a blizzard.
> 
> Maybe the Federation should reconsider the whole idea given how many times the holodeck goes on the fritz :=)


	3. Longshot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter THREE! Enjoy! :=)

******

**Earlier…**

“Longshot_, this is Flight, status?_”

Pilot T’K’ann settled back into the molded seat as she completed the final preflight check.

“Flight, _Longshot_, final preflight checks completed,” T’K’ann replied “request permission to begin launch”

“Longashot_, Flight, permission granted,_” came the reply “_good luck_”

T’K’ann took a breath as she gently eased the throttle forward, the vessel gently easing forwards out from orbit of the planet. A project nearly twenty years in the making, _Longshot_ was the first FTL-capable vessel made by the people of Kaminar, and it was hoped that the successful launch of _Longshot_ would usher in a new era of peace and prosperity from the planet, in particular for the war-ravaged nations in the southern hemisphere.

Despite having become a worldwide celebrity overnight after being picked to pilot the inaugural FTL flight, T’K’ann couldn’t help but laugh at how _small_ the ship was, the engines took up most of the ship’s body, with the tiny, one-person cockpit being less than three meters wide, so small in fact that one of the requirements for the prospective pilots were that they could only be a certain height and weight.

Reaching the predetermined coordinates, T’K’ann cued the comm again.

“Flight, _Longshot_, I’ve reached the launch coordinates. Request permission to engage FTL drive”

“Longshot, _Flight, standby for final preflight diagnostics_”

“_Longshot_, Flight, acknowledged, standing by” T’K’ann replied

“Longshot, _Flight, preflight diagnostics complete, we are go for launch_”

“Acknowledged, Flight,” T’K’ann replied “energizing FTL drive,” reaching out, she gently flicked the series of three switches before her, watching as the display of the FTL drive—symbolized by a series of three concentric rings—each slowly spun in opposite directions of each other, a tinny _chime_ filling the cockpit as the display turned red.

“Flight, _Longshot_, FTL drive is fully energized,” T’K’ann announced “standing by to engage,” she smirked “come on, people, just say it” she grinned.

Over the radio, the flight controller chuckled.

“_Punch it_” she instructed.

Grinning, T’K’ann reached out, gripping the small lever on the console before her.

“Punching it, Flight” she announced as she pulled the lever back, watching as the stars seemed to flicker and shimmer before her as a vibration ran through the cockpit. With a sudden bright—almost-blinding—flash of light, _Longshot_ leapt forwards, the sudden acceleration forcing T’K’ann back into her seat as the stars suddenly elongated, streaking past the tiny ship.

Glancing down at the console, T’K’ann nodded to herself as she watched the steadily moving counter. Three minutes, that was the threshold that the best of the planet’s scientists had determined for the drive, any longer and the pilot risked serious injury or death from the radiation produced by the drive, but for those three minutes she would be in a complete and total communications blackout, meaning that if anything went wrong she would be on her own.

As luck would have it, an alarm suddenly began to flash.

“_Error. Systems error,_ the computer announced “_navigational failure_”

Gasping, T’K’ann reached forwards, thrusting the lever forwards, watching as another bright flash filled the viewport. Wincing as she tried to get her eyes to clear, T’K’ann gasped as a truly _massive_ object suddenly loomed directly ahead. Panting hard, she scrambled to reach the controls, grunting as the _Longshot_ suddenly collided with some kind of energy barrier surrounding the object, bouncing off it.

Grimacing, T’K’ann shook her head to clear it, turning to stare at the massive object, suddenly noticing what appeared to be some kind of lettering on it. Pulling up the outside video feed, she zoomed in on the strange symbols.

**U.S.S. TERESHKOVA  
NCC-1804**

For a moment, T’K’ann simply sat there, looking between the small screen and the object outside. Finally, she reached out for the comm, switching the radio to all frequencies.

“Uh…h-hello?” she called out “is…is…anyone…there?” but there was only a crackle of static “hello? Are you receiving me?” she tried again.

“_Hello_” a female voice replied…


	4. "This is a present from a small, distant world"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FOUR! Enjoy! :=)

******

_“Captain’s Log, supplemental: In a rather startling turn of events, our routine survey mission into a hereto-unknown section of space has suddenly become an unexpected first contact encounter. A vessel belonging to a—seemingly—newly warp-capable species dropped out of warp less than fifty meters from our hull, thankfully without damage to either ourselves or the alien vessel. Presently, we are engaged in contact with the other ship…_

******

“Captain?”

Helena looked up as Airiam called.

“What is it?” she asked.

“The alien vessel is losing life-support,” Airiam reported “looks like a hull fracture”

“Damn it,” Helena cursed, already marching back to her chair “bridge to transporter room”

“_Transporter room here_”

“Stand by for an emergency transport,” Helena ordered “Airiam, transfer the coordinates to the transporter room” she added.

“Coordinates transferred” Airiam nodded as Helena.

“Alien vessel, are you still receiving me?” Helena called.

“_Yes,_” the alien pilot replied “_but…I think something’s…wrong_” she panted out.

“You’re losing life-support,” Helena explained urgently “do you understand?”

There was a pause.

“_Yes_” the pilot replied.

“All right, hold on,” Helena urged “we’re going to help you. Stand by” she explained before she turned and marched towards the turbolift…

******

Marching into the _Tereshkova’s_ lone transporter room, Helena gestured to the transporter chief.

“Ensign Blackfoot, you’re relieved,” she ordered “I’ll take over” she added.

Looking understandably startled, the Ensign nodded.

“Aye, Captain” she said, moving away from the console as Helena took over; transporter mechanics were difficult, but most of the more intricate transporter functions were automated, meaning that virtually anyone could operate a well-maintained system.

Sliding the three controls up, Helena tensed as the familiar whine of the transporter engaging filled the room, a shimmer of gold filling the chamber as a small figure dressed in what appeared to be a blue space suit materialized. The figure was small, roughly two to three meters in height. Reaching up with small, four fingered hands, they slowly, cautiously, removed the helmet of the suit, revealing a small silver-furred face that reminded Helena of a ferret. No, more like an otter she reasoned, remembering a pair of sea otters she’d seen while visiting the aquarium in Monterrey during her time at Starfleet Academy.

Slowly approaching the transporter, she held out her hands in what she hoped was a peaceful, non-threatening gesture.

“Easy,” she soothed as the alien pilot jerked back from her “easy, it’s all right, no one here is going to hurt you,” crouching down to the alien’s level, she tried for a smile, carefully avoiding showing her teeth “do you have a name?” she asked.

The alien stared at her, whiskers twitching in clear uncertainty.

“You…you speak Kelpien?” she asked.

Helena chuckled; as first questions went it was pretty easy.

“We have a way of translating other languages,” she explained, keeping her answers deliberately vague “in essence a machine in translating my language into yours and yours into mine,” she explained “my name is ‘Helena’,” she introduced herself “and you are?”

Whiskers still twitching, the alien suddenly shot straight up, pulling herself up to her full height, chest puffed out in cleat pride.

“I am Pilot T’K’ann of the Kelpien Space Agency” she declared.

“Well, Pilot T’K’ann of the Kelpien Space Agency,” Helena began with a chuckle “welcome aboard the Federation starship _Tereshkova_”

“Your voice,” T’K’ann began “we spoke before” she realized.

“That’s right,” Helena nodded. She stood up, offering the small alien her hand “shall we?”

Looking somewhat uncertain, T’K’ann tentatively took the offered hand, allowing herself to led down off the transporter pad and out of the room into the corridor, where the little alien looked around in wonder as she followed Helena down the corridor towards the turbolift.

“How big is this place?” T’K’ann asked as they stepped inside the ‘lift.

“About two hundred and thirty-eight meters in length spread out across fifteen decks with a crew compliment of a little over one hundred” Helena answered.

“One_hundred_?” T’K’ann exclaimed “amazing! The space station only fits eight at most and that took nearly thirty years to build!”

“In time your people will probably be doing the same things we are” Helena smirked.

“So, uh, what are you…called?” T’K’ann asked “I mean your…species?” she added.

“My species is ‘human’, but we’ve encountered dozens of others out in the galaxy,” Helena explained “most of them are just as curious about us as we are about them” she remarked.

“Incredible,” T’K’ann breathed “I mean, we always suspected, hoped, that we weren’t alone in the universe. But to be actually here, aboard an alien ship, _talking_ to an actual alien…” her whiskers twitched again, this time in clear giddy excitement as the turbolift stopped outside sick bay and Helena led her into the room, where Dr. T’Mir was waiting.

“Captain,” the Vulcan gracefully inclined her head in greeting “and you have a guest” she noted.

“Yes, I do,” Helena nodded “Dr. T’Mir, meet Pilot T’K’ann,” she introduced “this is our ship’s doctor,” she explained to the small alien “with your permission, I’d like her to examine you”

T’K’ann’s whiskers twitched again.

“Examine me?” she echoed uncertainly.

“Oh, no, don’t worry,” Helena bit her cheek to smother her laugh “it’s completely noninvasive, I promise. We just want to ensure that you’re healthy” she explained.

“Oh,” the small alien’s whiskers twitched again “all right” she agreed.

“Good” Helena nodded as she held out her arms and as respectfully as possible lifted the small alien up onto a nearby biobed, before stepping back and allowing the doctor room.

“Remain still please” Dr. T’Mir requested as she ran a scanner over the pilot’s form, glancing over at the nearby viewscreen upon which the results of the scan slowly scrolled down.

“You’re…different than her,” T’K’ann noted suddenly. She gestured between T’Mir and Helena “the ears, your skin tones” she continued.

“Well observed,” T’Mir nodded “I am Vulcan, a different species than Captain Verne’s own”

“But you work together” T’K’ann noted.

“Humans and Vulcans have worked together for well over two centuries…” T’Mir explained as Helena moved away to answer a hail from the bridge in the doctor’s office.

“Verne here”

“_Captain,_” Airiam greeted “_thought you’d like to know that we’ve tractored the alien ship into the shuttlebay_”

“Good,” Helena nodded even though over the audio channel Airiam couldn’t see her “any luck in tracing the warp trail back to its point of origin?”

“_Coordinates are already laid in, ma’am_” Airiam explained.

“Nice to see people taking the initiative,” Helena chuckled “set a course to the system, best possible speed,” she ordered “I’d like to return our visitor before she ends up accidently overstaying her welcome”

“_Understood, Captain,_” Airiam chuckled “_estimated time of arrival is…four hours and thirty-six minutes_”

“Plenty of time for a tour,” Helena declared “get started on repairs to the alien ship as well,” she added “Verne out”

******

The ship was very tiny, roughly a third of the size of an average Federation shuttlecraft. This was made even more apparent when one took in the size of the species who built it.

Leaning over the edge of the _tiny_ cockpit, Kira Danvers grunted as she shifted the small high-powered penlight in between her teeth to try to see under the small seat, letting out a muffled triumphant _‘ah-ha’_ as she unearthed a small canister of some kind. Straightening up, she took the penlight out of her mouth and absently put it away as she adjusted her glasses as she studied the object.

“What’ve you got there, Kira?”

Blinking owl-like behind said glasses, Kira turned, smiling shyly as Helena came over to stand opposite her on the other side of the cockpit.

“I’m not sure,” Kira admitted as she held out the object to the other woman “some kind of warning buoy?” she shrugged “SOS?”

Frowning, Helena turned the object over, finding what looked like a small switch at one end. Shrugging, she gently pressed her finger down on it, a tiny _click_ emanating from the object as the other end lit, projecting a cone of light on the deck plating. Looking down at the projection, Helena reoriented the device, aiming it at one wall, both she and Kira watching as a series of images scrolled across the bulkhead.

The images seemed to show snapshots of the life of T’K’ann’s people. Images of what appeared to be families with their (numerous) children were interspersed with what appeared to be images of their technological advancements and progress. Finally the image changed to one of a male of T’K’ann’s species seated behind an ornate desk, clearly an important figure on their planet, possibly a world leader or similar.

“_Greetings,_” he began “_as a representative of one nation among many on our fair planet, I welcome and invite you in the spirit of friendship. Our race may be new to the stars, but we hope to friends to all who live out among them_”

“Ha,” Helena couldn’t resist the grin that spread across her face “it’s a golden record”

“A what?” Kira asked as the projection stopped. Turning back to her, Helena smiled.

“How much do you know about Earth’s early space missions?” she asked.

“I flunked Federation history” Kira admitted with a sheepish shrug.

Helena smirked.

“Back during Earth’s early forays into space exploration, we launched a series of probes out into the galaxy,” she began “primarily to learn what was out there, but also in the faint hope of meeting somebody else out here,” she hefted the small device “now, back in the…1970s I think, two of these probes were called ‘_Voyager_ probes’—both named _Voyager 1_ and _Voyager 2_ respectfully—were launched with a gold-plated phonographic record onboard,” she explained “each record contained a series of images and sounds from Earth at the time. The idea was that, if some extraterrestrial race were to come across either one of the probes, they could learn about the people who had built them”

“Sounds kinda dangerous,” Kira noted “I mean, imagine if the Klingons or the Romulans had found them and made first contact with Earth instead of the Vulcans” she suggested.

“Then we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Helena smirked “you have to remember it was a far different time than now, Kira,” she reminded the other woman “the idea of extraterrestrial life was…academic at best”

“Angels or cavemen,” Kira remarked. At Helena’s puzzled expression, she elaborated “Arthur C Clarke,” she explained “he once wrote that, given the age of the universe, humans might encounter alien species which would be either so advanced compared to be us as to be virtual gods, or—”

“…so far behind as to be stick-welding primitives,” Helena finished with a nod. She hefted the device in her hands “looks like the Kelpiens found the middle ground” she remarked.

“How is our guest?” Kira wondered.

“According to Dr. T’Mir, she’s a million questions a minute,” Helena chuckled “I have to admit, they picked a good candidate for first contact. She’s curious, inquisitive, cautious without being fearful,” she shrugged “I like her”

“Hey, you’re making me a little jealous here” Kira teased.

Helena smirked but said nothing as the bowsaw’s whistle rang out in the shuttlebay.

“Bridge to Captain Verne”

Pulling her communicator out, Helena flipped it open.

“Verne here, go ahead”

“_Captain, we’ve entered the Kelpien system_”

“Understood, slow to impulse,” Helena instructed “keep us at a safe distance from the planet,” she added. She frowned “try to make us look as obvious as possible”

There was a pause.

“_Aye, ma’am_”

Snapping the communicator shut, Helena smirked at Kira.

“Duty calls” she grinned…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently, both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are the furthest man-made objects from Earth, both probes have officially reached interstellar space. According to scientists, _Voyager 1_ will pass within 1.6 light-years of the star Gliese 445 in about 40,000 years. So, if there is intelligent life on a planet orbiting that star, we will have to wait a _long_ time to hear from them.
> 
> The chapter title comes from a quote from former-U.S. President Jimmy Carter who recorded on the two golden records an invitation to any alien intelligence to come to Earth. Among the other images and sounds on the records showing snapshots of life on Earth is an hour-long audio recording on the heartbeat and brainwaves of Ann Druyan, ex-wfie of Carl Sagan and an Emmy, Peabody award-winning director and producer, who co- produced the PBS documentary series _Cosmos_ hosted by Sagan


	5. Hello Out There

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FIVE! Enjoy! :=)

******

The Kelpien homeworld of Kaminar appeared to be entirely covered by water at first glance, but a closer inspection revealed a series of islands of varying sizes dotted the planet’s surface, some were large enough to be seen from orbit, while others were so small that they probably barely registered in the minds of the natives.

Standing up, Helena slowly approached the main viewscreen, absently leaning against the helm as she did so.

“Now, see,” she remarked to no one in particular “_this_ is why I joined Starfleet,” she took a breath “right,” she declared “let’s see who we’re dealing with. Lieutenant Airiam, what can you tell me about the planet?”

“Well, it’s an M-Class planet,” Airiam began “large water to landmass ratio. Judging by the pollutants in the atmosphere and surface water I’d say that their technology level is about equal to late-21st century Earth” she explained.

“What about their weapons systems?” Helena wondered “don’t want anybody trying to shoot us while we’re here” she added.

“Scans indicate that they had surface-to-orbit capabilities,” Airiam nodded “I’m also detecting what looks like refined nuclear materials in several large underground facilities in various places”

“Missile silos,” Helena nodded “probably holding missiles with nuclear warheads. What about warp-capabilities? Is it just one place or everyone?”

Airiam frowned as she peered into the scanner, finally looking up and shaking her head.

“Unknown,” she explained “I’m not detecting any other warp or subspace signatures but it looks like there’s been a few antimatter detonations in recent years in various places all over the planet” 

Helena turned back to the viewscreen.

“A space race” she mused.

“Captain?” Ensign Leentex at navigation asked.

“It’s an old term from Earth, Ensign,” Helena explained “back before the formation of the Federation the various nation-states of Old Earth competed against each other to achieve spaceflight, each one trying to be the ‘first’, the first ones to land on the Moon, the first one to land on Mars, et cetera,” she explained “of course, had they all just worked together instead of competing, Earth might have become warp-capable decades earlier,” she added

“Lt. Palmer,” she called out “see if you can tap into their transmissions, I want to see what they’re saying about the warp flight”

“Aye, Captain”

With a burst of static, the viewscreen flickered, images shimmering and blurring for a moment before what was clearly a newscast came through.

“_…no official statement has been made at this time by the Space Agency, we_ have _received confirmation that all contact with_ Longshot _and its pilot, Commander T’K’ann, has been lost on the mission’s first test of the FTL drive. We will of course continue to follow this story and bring you updates as it progresses. In related news, the sudden apparent failure of the world’s first FTL flight has caused some to view it with joy. In the Southern Island nation of Ba’ul, celebrations were seemingly held in the nation’s capital as the government celebrated the ‘failure of Northern decadence’. The impoverished, isolationist nation has made several claims of having successfully built its own FTL-capable spacecraft in recent months but many experts doubt this claim owing to Ba’ul’s lack of sufficient industry,_”

The newscaster suddenly paused, holding one hand to her ear, a look of shock crossing her face.

“_Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve just received word from the Space Agency that a large object has just been detected in orbit_” she announced. As she said this an image was superimposed over her own. It was grainy, blurred and distorted, but clearly showed the outline of a Federation starship.

“Is that…?” Kira wondered.

“Mm-hmm,” Helena nodded “smile everyone, we’re on candid camera,” she remarked as the turbolift opened, Dr. T’Mir and T’K’ann stepping out “ah, Ms. T’K’ann,” Helena greeted, beckoning the pilot over “looks like we’ve been spotted” she explained, gesturing towards the viewscreen.

“_…scientists have already confirmed that the object is most definitely_ artificial _in nature,_” the newscaster continued “_that it is very possibly_ alien _in origin,_” the newscaster’s voice now had a definite quiver of uncertainty in it as she continued “_officials from the Space Agency have just announced that…that they’re going to attempt to contact the…object_”

“Lt. Palmer?” Helena called.

At the communication’s station, the former _Enterprise_ crewmember nodded.

“Transmission coming in now, Captain” she announced.

“Let’s see it” Helena nodded.

With another burst of static, a grainy, distorted image came through.

“_This is Minister T’L’lee,_” a male Kelpien—the same male who had recorded the greeting that Helena and Kira found in the ship “_speaking on behalf of the people of the Kelpien Assembly and the people of our planet of Kaminar,_” he introduced himself “_I can only hope and assume that your presence here is in response to the recent FTL flight of Commander T’K’ann and the_ Longshot _spacecraft. And I hope that your intentions are peaceful_” he continued.

“Can we respond yet?” Helena asked.

“Still trying, Captain” Lt. Palmer replied.

“_…the whereabouts of Commander T’K’ann and her vessel are currently unknown to us,_” Minister T’L’lee continued “_but it is our hope that you have found her and that she is safe_”

“Try it now, Captain” Palmer announced.

Clearing her throat, Helena took a breath.

“Minister T’L’lee” she called out.

The Minister stopped his speech, the look of surprise and shock on his face downright comical.

“_Y-y-yes?_” he stammered out, rearing back in his seat as he was no doubt confronted with—to him—the alien face of a Human.

Helena smiled, carefully avoiding showing her teeth again.

“This is Captain Helena Verne of the starship _Tereshkova_, representing the United Federation of Planets,” she introduced herself. She gestured to Commander T’K’ann “I believe we found something you lost” she grinned…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The character of "Lt. Palmer" is _not_ a creation of my imagination. The character, as played by actress Elizabeth Rodgers (born 'Betty Jayne Rodgers') first appeared in the classic Original Series episode "The Doomsday Machine" and in the later episode "The Way to Eden" both times notably filling in for Uhura. As the story goes, Nichelle Nicols was doing some work in New York at the time of the filming of "The Doomsday Machine". Since she wasn't under contract this was perfectly legal, but the casting of Elizabeth Rodgers in the episode was seen by many--including Rodgers herself--as a not-so-subtle warning to Nicols that if she decided to leave Star Trek they could easily replace her, as Rodgers herself said "I was used as an instant 'threat' replacement".
> 
> Rodgers also had a role in the episode "Metamorphosis" as the voice of the alien 'companion' who cared for--and fell in love with--Zefram Cochrane, in his first appearance in the Trek universe as played by Glenn Corbitt.
> 
> On November 6 2004, after suffering a series of strokes and a battle with lung cancer, Elizabeth Rodgers died in Tarzana, California at age 70
> 
> As for those of you who may be wondering why 'Kaminar', 'Kelpien' and 'Ba'ul' sound familiar that's because all three appeared on "Discovery", with the first Kelpien seen on screen being played by actor Doug Jones as the character of 'Saru' (not that I consider "Discovery" canon mind you :=)


	6. Gut Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're BACK! A short update to my Star Trek fic "Threshold"! Enjoy! :=)

******

“_Captain’s Log, supplemental: We’ve established first contact with the planet ‘Kaminar’, specifically the nation-state known as the ‘Kelpian Assembly’. Preliminary communications indicate that the planet is divided into various nation-states, some of which are in direct, rather fierce competition with one another, whereas others appear to be steadfast allies. That being said, the information we’ve gained from Commander T’K’ann indicates that the Kelpian Assembly is an open and tolerant democracy. Currently, the Anthropology Department, in conjunction with Communications, are studying as much information as we can glean from both our unexpected ‘guest’, and from the various transmissions and broadcasts emanating from the planet’s surface while we wait for a response from Starfleet Command …_”

******

“_Bridge to Captain Verne_”

Helena—seated behind the desk in her ready room—looked up at the hail, absently flicking the switch on her desktop console to stop her log recording before cuing the com.

“Go ahead”

“_Message from Starfleet, Captain,_” Lt. Palmer explained “_priority one, Commodore DuBois calling_”

“Put it through here, Lieutenant” Helena instructed.

“_Aye, Ma’am…Commodore DuBois, Captain_”

The veiwscreen lit up with the familiar face of Commodore DuBois.

“Commodore” Helena greeted.

“_Captain Verne,_” the Andorian woman nodded politely in reply, her antenna bobbing slightly as a result, before she absently hefted the PADD on her desk “_I see that you’ve made some new friends_” she noted.

“We’re hoping so” Helena nodded.

“_Has the alien pilot been returned to the planet yet?_” Commodore DuBois asked

“Not as of yet,” Helena replied “we’ve offered, but both she and her superior, a…Minister T’L’lee asked that she remain behind for the time being” she explained.

“_I see,_” the Commodore nodded “_do you suspect any ulterior motive?_” she asked.

“Not from Commander T’K’ann, no,” Helena shook her head “she seems to be staying here out of simple curiosity. Can’t really blame her, honestly”

“_And the Minister? What’s your take on him?_”

“I’m not sure,” Helena admitted “on the one hand, I don’t sense any ulterior motive—but then again, I’m not an empath,” she frowned and then shook her head “no, my gut tells me that he’s an honest man” she declared.

“_I’d be_ very _careful about listening to my gut in this situation, Captain,_” the Commodore warned “_we’re dealing with a previously-unknown species here, their culture is different from yours or mine. Whatever you do, _don’t _anthropomorphize them_”

“Understood, Commodore” Helena nodded.

“_That being said, you’ve been granted full discretion to oversee this first contact however you see fit,_” the Commodore explained “_however, remember the Prime Directive; don’t expose these people to concepts that they may not be ready for, ease them into it,_” she took a breath “_personally speaking though, you’ve made a lot of people here at Starbase 11 very jealous, myself included,_” she added “_I’d cut off both my antennae to get back out there in the captain’s chair_” she chuckled.

“I’ll remind you of that whenever somebody offers me a promotion to admiral” Helena chuckled.

The Commodore returned the smile.

“_We’ll expect updates every three hours,_” she explained “_good luck, Helena. DuBois out_”

As the viewscreen went blank, Helena leaned back in her chair, lost in thought…


	7. Learning Curve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're BACK! Chapter SEVEN of my Trek fic "Threshold" is up! Enjoy! :=)

******

Kira smirked as she watched her newest ‘pupil’ study the helm. Commander T’K’ann carefully examined each switch and button on the console, clearly memorizing their name and function as Kira pointed them out to her, clearly eager to learn about the _Tereshkova_. This was clearly in spite of the fact that, being much smaller than the helmsman, the alien looked more like a child’s stuffed toy playing pretend than an eager pilot.

“So,” Kira began “how would you turn ninety degrees to port?” she asked.

T’K’ann frowned, carefully studying the helm, her whiskers absently twitching.

“Starboard thrusters fired at thirty second intervals, then portside thrusters at thirty second intervals to counter your momentum” she answered after a moments pause “easy, we learn at the Space Agency training center” she added with definite smirk.

“Same here,” Kira nodded with a chuckle “OK, let’s try a hard one. How would you calculate the ship’s position from an unknown location?”

Again, T’K’ann studied the console.

“Calculate your distance and angle relative to the galactic center,” she began “once you have that as a reference point then you can calculate your current position relative to your previous one”

“Exactly right” Kira praised.

“Training a new recruit, Kira?”

The two women looked up as Helena came over.

“Oh,” Kira blushed “just showing the Commander here how we pilot the ship” she explained.

“I imagine it’s not too dissimilar to what you’ve already been taught, Commander,” Helena noted, nodding to the Kelpian “many of the same principles apply after all”

“Hardly,” the alien laughed “believe me, Captain, _none_ of my people could ever have dreamed of ship like this”

“High praise, indeed” Helena chuckled, sharing a grin with Kira as an alarm suddenly sounded from the console.

“I didn’t touch anything!” T’K’ann yanked her hands back from the controls as if burned.

“No, it’s not you,” Kira said distractedly as she leaned over and examined the console “proximity alert,” she read “inbound object from the planet’s surface” she explained, quickly urging T’K’ann out of the chair.

“Configuration?” Helena asked, leaning over Kira’s shoulder as she retook her station.

“Looks like a ship of some sort” Kira shrugged.

“On screen” moving past the helm, Helena frowned at the image on the screen. A small cylindrical object of some sort was making its way towards the ship, it made no obvious attempt to hide its approach vector or any obvious aggressive overtones.

Frowning, Helena turned back to T’K’ann.

“Commander?” she questioned. She nodded towards the ship on the main viewscreen “know anything about this?”

“No,” T’K’ann shook her head “it…looks like one of our orbital capsules,” she shrugged “but…I don’t think it’s Kelpian” she admitted hesitantly.

Frowning, Helena looked towards the science station.

“Airiam?”

The cybernetic science officer nodded.

“Based on its trajectory and molecular composition, it’s definitely _not_ from the same nation as Commander T’K’ann,” she explained “but as to where it’s from, I couldn’t tell you. Not yet anyway”

Nodding, Helena absently tapped her chin in thought.

“Hail them” she ordered after a moment.

“Channel open”

“Kamianr vessel, this is the _Tereshkova_, please respond,” Helena called out, only to receive no response. Frown deepening, Helena instinctively took a slight step back “back us off, Kira,” she ordered softly, turning back to the helm “nice and easy”

“Aye,” Kira nodded “they’re increasing speed” she reported

“Looks like they’re trying to catch us” Helena noted uneasily.

“I’d like to see them try” Kira grumbled.

“Remember, Kira, pride goes before fall,” Helena reminded her “half thrusters” she ordered.

“Half thrusters, aye,” Kira shook her head “they’re _still_ following us,” she reported “increasing speed”

“Hail them again” Helena ordered.

“Still no response” Lt. Palmer shook her head.

“Scan that capsule,” Helena ordered “is anyone onboard?”

“Scanning,” Airiam frowned into her scanner “no lifeforms detected, Captain,” she reported “it’s utterly empty,” she adjusted the controls on her console “but, I am detecting a signal coming from the planet’s surface and being directed at the capsule” she added.

“Pull a map of the planet on the main viewer,” Helena ordered “Commander T’K’ann,” Helena nodded to the smaller biped “can you point out where any other space-capable nations might be?”

Frowning, the Keplian walked up to the full, floor-to-ceiling viewscreen, studying it intently.

“Here,” she pointed to an area in the southern hemisphere “this chain of islands” she explained, pointing to an island chain near a larger island.

“Airiam?” Helena asked.

“It’s a match for the signal’s point of origin” she nodded.

Helena’s frown deepened.

“Can we access the signal?” she asked.

“Yes, we can,” Airiam smirked “but what do you plan on doing, Captain?”

“That depends, Lieutenant,” Helena chuckled “can you piggyback a communications signal onto the transmission?”

Airiam frowned, and then smirked back in reply.

“I definitely can,” she grinned “comlink established,” she announced after a moment “audio only”

“That’s fine,” Helena nodded “open the channel”

“Channel opened”

Visibly straightening her spine, Helena couldn’t hide her smirk

“Attention, this is the Federation starship _Tereshkova_,” she called out “kindly _recall_ your capsule or it _will_ be destroyed”

“Capsule is slowing,” Kira reported “coming about…it’s returning to the planet”

“Captain, they’re hailing us” Airiam announced.

“Let’s hear it” Helena nodded.

“_This is the People’s Nation,_” a male voice declared “_we will not allow alien influence on our culture or society_”

“This is Captain Helena Verne,” Helena began “please understand our purpose here is peaceful first contact. Nothing more”

“They’ve signed off, Captain” Lt. Palmer at the commutations station announced.

“Hmm,” Helena scowled “contact Minister T’L’lee, send it to my ready room,” she ordered, already halfway towards the ready room “Commander T’K’ann, if you’d come with me”

“Where?” the alien asked.

“To make a call” Helena grumbled as the alien followed her into the ready room…


	8. Non-Interference

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're BACK! My Star Trek fic "Threshold" is finally being updated! Chapter EIGHT! Enjoy! :=)

******

Minister T’L’lee’s expression was hard for Helena to read, partly due to the low-quality of the transmission from the planet, partly due to the fur covering his face, and partly due to the fact that he was a member of a previously-unknown species. All that being said however, she had the distinct impression that he was nervous, both for his own people and for the _Tereshkova_.

“So, Minister, what _can_ you tell me about this ‘People’s Nation’?” she asked.

“_Not much, I’m afraid, Captain,_” the Minister sighed “_they’re isolationist, extremely so. They refuse to open diplomatic relations with any other nation, but don’t waste any opportunity to proclaim their own perceived superiority and glory, and they vehemently protested our FTL project, claimed it was a pretense for some kind of weapon_”

Perched atop the desk next to Helena, Commander T’K’ann leaned in towards the viewscreen.

“Minister, what’s been going down there since my flight?” she asked.

“_Quite a bit, Commander,_” the Minister chuckled “_the knowledge of extra-global life has sent our people into a frenzy_”

“How so, Minister?” Helena asked.

The Minister’s grin dimmed, and he sighed heavily.

“_Unfortunately, it appears that many people, at least here in the Assembly anyway, are…scared,_” he tiredly rubbed at his forehead, absently accepting a report that was handed to him by someone out of frame “_you must understand, Captain. The idea that we were not alone in the stars was, until your arrival, academic. And, well to be perfectly blunt, we don’t know what you_ want _from us_”

“What we ‘want’ from you, Minister is to learn more about you,” Helena chuckled “as, I hope, Commander T’K’ann can attest”

“I can,” T’K’ann nodded at both. She leaned in towards the viewscreen again “these are _good_, honest people, Minister. In some ways they’re just as excited about this meeting as we are” she explained.

Minister T’L’lee sighed heavily.

“_I hope you’re right, Commander, I hope you’re right,_” he scanned the report in his hands “_and it seems that my government agrees with you. Captain Verne, I’ve been authorized to grant your people access to the intraweb_” he explained.

Helena frowned, looking towards T’K’ann questioningly.

“Intraweb?” she asked.

“Uh, it’s a global network of computers,” T’K’ann explained “they’re all linked together, allowing access to…well, pretty much anything you could want”

“Oh,” Helena nodded in understanding before she turned back to viewscreen “thank you, Minister”

“_Of course_” he nodded before closing the channel.

Turning away from the darkened viewscreen, Helena looked towards T’K’ann.

“How do you think your planet is reacting to our presence?” she asked.

The Kaminarian sighed.

“I’d like to think that, for the most part, we’d celebrate it,” she began “but, past experience tells me that, individually, most people would be accepting of the idea after a time, but collectively…” she trailed off, sighing heavily “if I’m understanding your Prime Directive correctly, it’s not like you’ll suddenly fix all our problems for us, right?”

“No,” Helena shook her head “we can offer support and advice, but we can’t and won’t interfere with your affairs”

“So, if there was a war for example…” T’K’ann began.

“We’d offer mediation, and perhaps medical supplies,” Helena nodded “but we won’t offer any weaponry to anyone. For one thing, you might not be capable of fully handling such technology”

“Now _that_ I think will upset a lot of people,” T’K’ann nodded “why is that?” she wondered.

“Beg pardon?” Helena asked.

“Why don’t you interfere in the affairs of others?” T’K’ann asked.

Helena leaned back in her chair, sighing.

“Tell me, Commander,” she began “in the history of your planet, has there ever been an example where a more technologically advanced culture or society encountered a less advanced one?”

“Sure,” T’K’ann nodded “lots of times, if I’m being honest”

“And what happened because of those encounters, even if they were well-intentioned?” Helena challenged.

T’K’ann was silent for a long moment.

“Oh” she finally said.

“Hmm,” Helena nodded “that being said, not everyone in the Federation agrees with the Prime Directive” she explained.

“Really?” T’K’ann asked, surprised.

“Oh yes,” Helena nodded “some feel that, while we definitely shouldn’t involve ourselves in cases of a war for example, we should try to prevent natural disasters”

“You disagree?” T’K’ann asked.

“I’m on the fence” Helena nodded.

“Fence?”

“Sorry. It’s a Human expression, it means to be on the border between two contrasting ideas,” Helena explained “anyway, back to my point. Let’s say that a meteor was going to hit your planet”

“OK, then we’d all be dead” T’K’ann nodded.

“Right. Now, the _Tereshkova_ has the capability to destroy or otherwise redirect the meteor given the circumstances,” Helena continued “and, for the sake of argument, let’s say that we did prevent this disaster”

“Sounds good so far”

“Does it?” Helena challenged “what if this meteor contained a form of microbial life that could have given your people a vaccine for a plague that would have killed far more than the impact did? Or what if, alternatively, in the resulting fallout from the impact, your people threw off old animosities and prejudices?”

“But you can’t know all that in advance,” T’K’ann objected. She frowned “_can_ you?”

“No,” Helena chuckled “but that’s exactly my point. We can’t know the long-term effects that our interference—no matter how well-intentioned—could have. What if your people had still been a preindustrial society when we arrived and we used our technology to give you everything you’d want or need?”

“Then…we wouldn’t have advanced any further,” T’K’ann slowly realized “we’d have no reason to”

“Exactly,” Helena nodded “and, conversely, it would be detrimental for us as well, since we’d be stuck acting as your constant caretakers”

T’K’ann groaned, rubbing at her temples.

“This conversation is giving me a headache” she grumbled.

“Yeah,” Helena sighed “me too”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The existence of the Prime Directive has been a rather thorny issue among both fans and the producers and writers of Star Trek. Some feel that the idea of the Prime Directive is flawed because since it prohibits interfering with other cultures, then the Federation has no business even exploring the galaxy, since by simply contacting other species could be seen as a form of 'inference', this is largely because the idea of the Prime Directive was created during the height of the Cold War and in particular the Vietnam War, at that many Americans felt that the U.S.'s involvement in the war and in Southeast Asia in general was an example of neo-colonialism, in other words they felt that the U.S. had no business getting involved in what was clearly an 'internal affair' in Vietnam.
> 
> Further complicating matters is how the Prime Directive is portrayed in-universe, the Original Series episode "The Paradise Syndrome" the "Enterprise" is sent to the planet in question to prevent an asteroid from hitting it and killing off the inhabitants, but the later Next Generation episodes "Pen Pals" and "Homeward" depict the "Enterprise-D" as being prohibited in interfering even in the face of natural disasters, and in fact by TNG's time and onwards the Prime Directive is described as not only a law but a 'philosophy' and seems to have expanded to encompass ordinary Federation citizens as well, and not just Starfleet officers (one could argue that the presence of a Native American tribe on the planet in "The Paradise Syndrome" might have been an exception due to A): the loss of an opportunity to study the tribe in more detail or B): the fact that they were brought to the planet by the mysterious 'Preservers' could be seen as alien interference and rendering the Prime Directive at least partially void.
> 
> Personally, I think of the Prime Directive as a necessary evil, since even if we object it on moral grounds, we can't know the long-term effects of the interference

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
